


October 31st

by WindOfTheWillows17



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: HPFT, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-07-12 03:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7082695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindOfTheWillows17/pseuds/WindOfTheWillows17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That fateful day that changes everything...</p>
            </blockquote>





	October 31st

The sun slowly rose that morning before casting out its arms of light like a blanket over the houses of Godric's Hollow. The crisp blue sky was dotted with sparsely white, fluffy clouds. The lawn of the Potter's cottage was draped with fresh dew that danced and sparkled like a thousand tiny diamonds. It was Halloween. Inside the Potter's home, the day was just getting started. 

Lily was busy in the kitchen making up a breakfast of pancakes, bacon and fruit for her family. In the oven, she was baking off last nights pumpkin seeds that they had collected from their traditional pumpkin carving. The smell of cinnamon filled the air as she cooked them using her favorite recipe that her mother used when she was a child. As she set the orange juice on the table, she could hear James and Harry coming down the stairs. 

James walked carefully down each step carrying a very happy Harry who kept trying to pull James's glass off. Each and every time that Harry came close to James's glass, James would give a pretend growl that would send Harry into a fit of laughter. When they made it to the bottom of the stairs, James put Harry down, straightened his glasses and followed the cinnamon aroma to the kitchen with Harry toddling in behind him.

"Morning!" Lily told James and Harry happily as she bent down to scoop up her son.

"Morning sweetheart." James replied back as he pulled his chair out, sat down and opened the Daily Prophet.

Lily bounced Harry in her arms as she carried him over to his chair to buckle him in.

"More deaths". James announced as he sipped some orange juice.

"Anyone we know?" Lily asked him cautiously as she started to plate their breakfast. She turned around to face James apprehensively waiting for his reply.

"No," He simply stated, " Just some random muggles again." He closed the Prophet and set it back down on the table, a look of deep disgust on his face.

Lily shook her head as she made her way to the table with their plates. She handed James his, "I am relieved that it isn't anyone we know, but James, these muggles being killed just to make a statement, sickens me." She finished as she sat down to start eating her breakfast. 

James sat back in his chair finishing his orange juice as Lily stopped eating to remove the pumpkin seeds from the oven. Harry babbled happily in his chair enjoying his pancakes. 

The mood was somber in the wake of the news of more deaths. The weather outside was changing to match the mood of the occupants inside the cottage. Dark, ominous clouds rolled in and a chilled breeze lofted through the open kitchen window.

"Looks like it is going to be a wet, cold night for the trick-or-treaters." James stated as he stood up and carried his dirty dishes to the sink and watching out the window.

Lily nodded as she stood and collected her and Harry's plates and crossing over to the sink next to James. 

James moved behind Lily and wrapped his arms around her waist giving her a small kiss on the cheek. She placed the dishes in the sink and turned on the faucet. She smiled as James rested his chin on her shoulder. Together they watched out the window as the rain began to pitter-patter against the window pane. The view had changed in the past month. The once colorful foliage had changed to a brown, fragile state that now littered the lawn.

Harry broke them out of the melodic trance the rain had brought upon them with a loud, cheerful raspberry. James and Lily laughed as they looked at one another. Small smiles on their faces showed happiness, but their eyes hid the truths of their worries and sorrows.

James turned to Harry, "Let's get you out of there my boy!" He declared as he crossed the kitchen to his giggling son.

Lily watched the two of them with a happy smile. She turned off the faucet and began washing up the dishes.

"Come on Harry," James told him seriously, "let's go get you cleaned up and changed, but first let's go give your mum a kiss!"

He carried him over to Lily who had just finished drying her hands and turned around to kiss her son. Harry returned Lily's kiss with a wet one on her forehead and watched as James and Lily kissed one another. 

"Alright! Now that we've done that off to your room Harry my boy!" James shouted as he galloped himself and Harry from the kitchen to the stairs with Harry laughing the entire way.

Lily picked up a book she had been meaning to finish and went to relax on the couch. She flicked her wand and a warm, welcoming fire erupted to life in the hearth. She set her wand down on the coffee table and watched as the flames licked the brick sides and the logs cracked merrily. James and Harry entered the sitting room moments later. James was sitting on the floor with his back to the sofa, Lily was behind him reading her book and Harry was busy chasing after the cat. As the day progressed around them, the rain had failed to let up.

"I wonder what's been happening with the others." James said thinking out loud to himself. He was watching Harry toss a toy for the cat who cheerfully chased it to the corner of the room. 

Lily continued to read her book and replied with a simple shrug. "You haven't heard from anyone?" She asked a moment later. Usually Sirius or Remus would find ways to sneak messages to him every now and then. 

James turned around and looked at her and Lily looked up from her book to see him sadly reply, "No. Not since we lived here."

James was bored and was never suited for a life that kept him this confined. Things were different now and small excursions out with his mates were out of the question. Especially since they were being hunted by a mad man intent on killing them and their son. 

"It will be okay James, " Lily told him as she patted his arm. "As soon as this war is over we'll be able to spend time with the other that we've missed."

James smiled sadly. "I know Lily, I know. 

James and Harry continued to play all afternoon. He let Harry ride around on the toy broom that Sirius had given him for his birthday and much to Harry's delight they found that he was getting pretty good at making go. The afternoon started to give way to evening and the light of that Halloween day, was fading quickly. James opened the sitting room curtains as Lily had decided to picnic in the sitting room tonight for dinner.

They watched while they ate, all the funny costumed children from the window. Harry giggled every so often as the children marched by never realizing that they were being watched by the three Potter's.

When their picnic ended, Lily carried the dishes into the kitchen and put away the pillows and blanket they used. 

James and Harry were on the couch. James was making puffs of smoke appear from his wand as Harry squealed happily, clapping his hands and trying to grasp the elusive colored smoke. 

"Time for bed!" Lily stated holding out her arms to pick Harry up and get him ready for bed. 

Lily walked away with Harry into the hall and started up the stairs. Once out of sight, James put his feet up on the coffee table and set his wand down upon the couch beside him.

Suddenly, the front door burst open. James was quickly on his feet as the sound echoed throughout the house. Forgetting his wand entirely as he sped into the hall.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" He yelled to his wife who immediately began running up the rest of the stairs.

He knew it was a futile attempt to hold off Voldemort without his wand, but his main concern was giving Lily and Harry enough time to flee. Voldemort laughed sinisterly as James stood determinedly blocking his path. His thoughts were of Lily and Harry as "The green light filled the cramped hallway, it lit up the pram pushed against the wall, it made the banisters glare like lightning rods, and James Potter fell like a marionette whose strings were cut..."

Lily screamed from the floor above as she heard Voldemort's voice scream the deadly curse. Still holding Harry, she closed the nursery door behind her and began to push boxes with her feet to barricade herself and Harry in.

The door was opened with such force that everything in the way had blown apart. Lily backed up quickly and stopped only when the backs of her legs found Harry's crib. That's when she realized that she had nowhere else to go.

Voldemort crossed the threshold, a malicious grin plastered to his already cruel face. She gently set Harry down in his crib as Voldemort advanced on both of them. Lily in a last ditch effort attempt to protect her precious son, "threw out her arms wide" in the most protective way she could.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"

"Stand aside, you silly girl... Stand aside, now!"

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-"

"This is my last warning-"

"Not Harry! Please...have mercy...have mercy...Not Harry! Not Harry! Please I'll do anything-"

"Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!"

He moved closer to her as she defiantly held her arms out in front of Harry. Fear crossed her face as she saw Voldemort's mouth begin to form the words of the curse she knew was coming. A flash of green light and she screamed before dropping down onto the floor after the curse hit her squarely in the chest.

Thunder rumbled in the distance and the rain could be heard louder than ever on the roof top above. Voldemort stepped closer to Harry's crib. The little boy watched him with vague curiosity until Voldemort held his wand deliberately at Harry's face. Harry began to cry, but Voldemort's hand did not falter from its intended target.

"Avada Kedavra!" He screamed.

The green light flashed around the nursery. The strength of the curse so powerful that it blew apart half the room leaving a gaping hole in the ceiling and personal items scattered about the room. The evil man that was standing in front of Harry had disappeared leaving little Harry all alone in his crib.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Italicized quotes or portions are credited to the Author J.K. Rowling and can be found in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows U.S. Edition Chapter Seventeen: Bathilda's Secret Pages 343 and 344 respectively.


End file.
